[Choral Piece] Difficult but cool! A work that overwhelms its listeners
You may have found your way here because you’re looking for a free-choice piece to sing at a choir competition or because you want to improve your choral technique! In this article, I’ll be introducing choral pieces that are quite challenging to sing.
Fast tempos, sudden tempo changes, wide melodic leaps, and complex staggered entries between parts—these pieces have it all.
If you can make it through the works listed here, you’ll surely feel a great sense of accomplishment.
Be sure to read to the end!
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[Choral Piece] Difficult but Cool! Works That Overwhelm the Listener (31–40)
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Selected as the set piece for the NHK All-Japan School Music Competition junior high school division, this work depicts two people parting as they pursue their dreams.
The lyrics express the loneliness of losing an “ordinary warmth” and lingering feelings for the other person, yet they also convey the importance of having the courage to move forward.
Released in December 2011, the song was also broadcast on NHK’s Minna no Uta.
Although there are challenging aspects—such as achieving beautiful harmonies and handling the rhythm—please practice well and let your wonderful singing voices resonate!
ChessboardFujiwara Satoshi
“Chessboard” is a song that celebrates the diversity of life and the importance of the choices we make within it.
Released in August 2023, the track was written and composed by Satoshi Fujihara of Official HIGE DANDism and was selected as the set piece for the Junior High School Division of the 90th NHK All-Japan School Music Competition.
In a world like a checkered pattern where happiness and sorrow intersect, the song asks what role we are to play.
Its message—that both failure and success are all preparation for the future, and that a day will come when past events will take on color—will resonate deeply with the hearts of junior high and high school students living in the coming era.
A Song on the LipsLyrics: C. Flying Dutchman / Music and Composition: Nobunaga Takafumi
A masterpiece whose beautiful melody and powerful message resonate deeply.
German and Japanese are exquisitely fused, and the hope-filled lyrics inspire all who listen.
Thanks to Takafumi Nobunaga’s delicate arrangement, the poetic world is brilliantly expressed in music.
Premiered in 2005 as a male choir version, it was later released in mixed and female choir versions and has been loved by many choirs.
While the difficulty level is on the higher side, the sense of accomplishment when you sing it through is exceptional! Why not give it a try?
Once moreSakushi: Hoshino Tomihiro, Sakkyoku: Chihara Hideki
In the 2012 NHK School Music Competition, the compulsory piece for the high school division was “The Road Leading to Tomorrow.” The second song of this mixed-chorus suite is “Once Again,” which is particularly well-known among the set.
The tempo isn’t fast, but the melody is complex, so it seems challenging to sing well.
The lyrics by poet Tomihiro Hoshino, which convey a delicate hope toward tomorrow, and the composition by Hideki Chihara, whose music is powerful yet somehow supple, are likely to demand a high level of expressive ability!
Blue EagleSakushi: Sarashina Genzo, Sakkyoku: Hasebe Masatoshi
“Blue Eagle” is also well-loved as a staple piece for chorus competitions.
Its hallmark is a relaxed first half that shifts in the latter half to a fast, intense tempo.
Because of this modulation, it’s considered quite difficult.
Another key point is that the lyrics invite various interpretations.
Depending on how you interpret what happens to the blue eagle that appears in the lyrics, the emotions you put into the performance will change.
Be sure to discuss it with your team and unify your artistic direction.
[Choral Music] Difficult but Cool! Works That Overwhelm the Listener (41–50)
I will protect you.Sakushi: Giniro Natsuo, Sakkyoku: Ueda Masaki
Boku ga Mamoru (I Will Protect You) was chosen as the set piece for the high school division of the 2011 NHK All-Japan School Music Competition.
It’s a mixed-choir SATB piece, and its biggest appeal lies in its straightforward lyrics.
With simple words like “Until now, I was the one being helped, but this time it’s my turn to help someone,” it seems to call for the power to express an honest, earnest feeling.
At first listen it may not seem all that difficult, but there are many subtle tricky spots, so be sure to practice with the score and other references!
One Morningsakushi:kataoka akira/sakkyoku:hirayoshi kishū
One Morning was released in 1978 as the set piece for the High School Division of the NHK National School Music Competition.
It was created by Akira Kataoka and Takeshi Hiraishi in response to a request for a work themed around friendship.
Since its debut, the piece has been known for its high level of difficulty, including its rises and falls and the nuances of dynamic control.
The section that begins with the male parts feels calm, but when the female parts enter, the music surges all at once.
By clearly shaping the tempo contrasts and the dynamics of each part, you can achieve a performance worthy of advanced singers.
